31 units at Leeds business centre ransacked as thieves steal car and tens of thousands of pounds worth of items

The two men spent hours breaking into business after business at Oaktree House on Oakwood Lane in Gipton through the early hours of this morning (Tuesday).

Among the items stolen were a silver VW Golf car from the parking area and £20,000 worth of items from a company that hosts prize draws and donates thousands of pounds to charities and the local community.

Matt Colley from All Star Prizes said he was “absolutely devastated” when he arrived at work this morning and found the door to his business broken and items strewn all over the floor.

He said that a Playstation 5, a “very unique” Rolex watch and a drone worth £4,500 that was only purchased recently were among the items stolen.

Mr Colley said: “They’ve literally cut the doors in half and gone in and ransacked as much as they can. They took a silver Golf from one of the tenants who must’ve left their keys in the office.

"Unfortunately, we don’t have contents insurance because we assumed being in a very secure building with multiple tenants that we were at low risk. We’ve lost approximately £20,000 of equipment for our live draws, production equipment such as drones, cameras, and personal possessions such as watches and jewellery.”

An army veteran, Mr Colley has used All Star Prizes as a vehicle to give back to the local community in Leeds by donating thousands of pounds to local causes.

He said: “It’s particularly upsetting as we try to do as much as we can for the local community. That’s why it’s shocking as they will have known about what we do.

“I’m just absolutely devastated by it. I came in this morning and just cried.”

The manager of Oaktree House told the Yorkshire Evening Post that it’s estimated that the two men entered the premises at around 1am and did not leave until after 5am when a motion sensor detected them. Mr Colley also shared CCTV footage of the burglary, which you can view at the top of the page.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “Police were called to a report of a burglary at commercial premises on Oakwood Lane, Gipton, shortly after 5:10am this morning (Tuesday) where a number of separate businesses within the same building were targeted. Investigations are currently ongoing into the matter and a scene is in place.

“Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact West Yorkshire Police by calling 101 or go online quoting reference 174 of 12/12. Alternatively, call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”